


Breaking Protocol

by SidingwiththeAngels



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: BAMF!Reid, Case Fic, F/M, Repression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-15
Updated: 2012-12-15
Packaged: 2017-11-21 05:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/593850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SidingwiththeAngels/pseuds/SidingwiththeAngels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. Spencer Reid has always tried to be careful with his job. But what happens when he falls in love with a victim he's never met? Will he be able to keep it together long enough to save her? Or will the team remove him from the case?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Criminal Minds. If you don't like OFCs, don't read this fic.

Sipping his coffee, Reid made his way to the conference room, very early for a normal day. The call from JJ had been sent out to the team at four that morning. Half an hour later, they met in the conference room. Garcia had her head lying on the table; her clothes were plain and unusual for her everyday attire. Morgan drained the last of his coffee and threw the cup in the trash across the room. Hotch and JJ were in the corner, talking quietly to each other. JJ looked more run down than anyone else. Reid guessed Henry had given her a rough night. Prentiss and Rossi hadn’t shown up yet. The young doctor sat next to Morgan, hoping the caffeine would kick in soon. Within a few minutes of his arrival, Rossi and Prentiss arrived. Garcia stood up and prepared the case as Hotch and JJ sat down.

            “All right my early birds, you are going to a little town in Arkansas.” Garcia started, her voice almost whispering. “Nineteen year old college sophomore, Maiti Stone, went missing two days ago. She was last seen in class Tuesday morning. She didn’t show up for class that night or work the next morning. Her boss said she had never been late so he knew something was wrong. He called her parents but she hadn’t seen them in days. The Missing Person’s report wasn’t filed until Wednesday night.” She sighed and looked at the blank screen. “We don’t have any recent pictures from her parents. Apparently, she didn’t like being in front of the camera much, just behind it. Her last picture was beginning of her senior year but her parents said she had changed a lot since then.”

            “Then how are we going to identify her?” Morgan asked.

            “Her parents are with a sketch artist right now and her best friend is helping.” Hotch answered, looking at the file.

            “How do we know she didn’t simply run away?” JJ asked. “She was in the band, two fraternities, straight A’s, no social life, a job. Maybe it got too stressful and she left.”

            “Her parents said she would never do anything like that. She would never leave her family, especially as she helps her brother get through school and her best friend.” Garcia answered.

            “She goes to school and helps two others get through?” Morgan asked. “Besides, why is this our case? Is she the only one missing?”

            “The director demanded it.” Hotch said, closing the case file. “Wheels up in thirty.” He left the room.

            Reid looked at Morgan. “None of this makes sense. We didn’t even talk about the unsub or how she was taken.” Morgan just shrugged.

 

            On the jet, they looked at the case again. Garcia sat on the video camera, waiting for orders.

            “Garcia, check Maiti’s records.” Hotch said.

            “For what, sir?” she asked.

            “Anything that stands out.”

            “Ok, give me a second,” Garcia muttered, typing furiously. “Ok, Maiti attended six leadership conferences for youth since she was fourteen. She went overseas to play in an international band in six countries for two weeks. She competed in three runs, placing in the top ten two times. Oh no.”

            “Come on, baby girl. What is it?” Morgan asked.

            “When she was nine years old, her two best friends reported that a man at their church molested the three of them at his home. Maiti was the main witness in the other two cases but she never saw anything. It dragged on for three years. She was submitted into a clinic for depression for six months during those three years when she was ten.”

            “Alright, Garcia, check him out – “ Hotch started.

            “He was convicted and sentenced to seventeen years in prison. He died after two. An article was published a week after his death with statements from his friends and family claiming Maiti was a liar. She was put back into the clinic soon afterwards. She was released after three months but was continually watched until after her tenth grade year. After that, her grades, health, and everything else skyrocketed. Even without her picture or social patterns, I’d guess that she became the American dream for girls everywhere.”

            “So she’s an ideal.” Morgan supplied.

            “Yes, my pretty.”

            “You know, back in the 1800s, girls who were depressed were put into asylums for the rest of their lives, sometimes they were never even seen again by their families. They believed that girls who were depressed were possessed by demons so they could infect the bloodline of pure families.” Reid ranted.

            “How does that help?” Rossi asked.

            “It doesn’t.” Reid muttered. Hotch and Morgan smiled slightly.

            “Sketch just came through from Maiti’s parents along with an old photo. I’m sending them to your tablets now.” Garcia said just as two images popped up on everyone’s tablets. The sketch was of a girl who looked to be around twenty-four, long dark hair with thin but broad features. The photo was of a girl almost nineteen. Her face was round and plastered with severe acne, her hair was short and lighter. She was quite a bit larger than the sketch. There was no smile in the picture or the sketch. Even without it, Reid could sense she was quite beautiful. He couldn’t help but stare at the sketch. Prentiss snapped her fingers in his ear. He snapped his head up to look at her.

            “You ok?”

            “Yeah, yeah.” He stammered, “just trying to piece it all together. You know, the unsub could have lost someone who looks like her and is trying to relive his life with Maiti.”

            “Without further evidence, who knows what kind of unsub he really is,” Morgan stated.

            “Morgan, Prentiss, I want you to go to her house and look around her room there. Talk to her parents while you’re there. Reid, JJ, I want you to go to her apartment at the college and look there then talk to her friends, especially her best friend. He knew her the best out of anyone, even her own parents. Rossi, you and I will go to CPD and set up there.” They all nodded.

 

            Reid and JJ looked around the victim’s room. It was messy and unorganized. Clothes were strewn everywhere. JJ picked her way through to the closet while Reid stepped over to the desk. It was the only sense of order in the entire room. It was straight, neat. It had a sense of symmetry to it.

            “JJ, look at this.” She walked over next to Reid, holding some clothes in her hands. “Her room is a mess yet her desk is neat, like she has OCD. Everything has its place, everything is color coordinated too.”

            “Maybe she doesn’t like to work in a messy environment.” JJ supplied.

            “Her entire room is her work environment. Why wouldn’t she clean that up too?” Reid asked. He turned around to look at her. “What’s that?”

            “She has both men’s and women’s clothing. The men’s clothes are more worn though. The women’s are almost brand new. Does she have a boyfriend or did she lose one?”

            “Case doesn’t say so.” Reid had the strangest feeling that he was hoping she didn’t. He ignored it and pushed on. Reid looked above JJ’s head to see a painting at the head of Maiti’s bed. It looked like an amateur had done it but there was a poem written on top of the painting. Reid took a few seconds to read it. “Look at this. This poem is about having a broken heart. ‘My rags of heart may wish, like and adore. But after one such love, can love no more.’ It’s a famous poem by John Donne. Not many girls her age like it due to its morbid nature.”

            “Well, that fits with her clothes. Most of her shirts are black. Rock bands, alternative music fan shirts. I don’t think she recovered from her depression. I just think she was able to hide it from her parents.”

            “Let’s see what Garcia can find on her laptop.” Reid said, picking up the large laptop from the center of the desk.

 

            Morgan and Prentiss searched the room at the parents’ house. It was pristine with the exception of the cat hair. A large brown cat sat in the middle of the bed, watching Morgan’s every move. A smaller orange cat peeked out from under the antique bed. Morgan’s phone beeped.

            “Reid said that her apartment room was a mess. Her desk was clean but everything else was chaos. Everything here is pristine. Is it possible that the unsub went through her room, looking for something?” He asked. Prentiss looked through the drawers and closet.

            “There’s a lot of men’s and black clothing in here. She has some women’s but not many. All of her pajamas are superheroes. Male superheroes. This isn’t very normal for a girl her age,” Prentiss looked at Morgan.

            “Let’s go talk to the parents.”

            Out in the living room, the victim’s parents sat on the large brown couch. The mother was crying quietly. The father was just holding her head to his chest, his face ghostly white. Her brother sat in the chair across the room. His face was still, blank. His arms were crossed across his chest, his fingers white from holding his arms tightly. His dark red hair stood on end, as if he had been running his hands through his hair repeatedly. Morgan elbowed Prentiss and nodded to the brother. She made her way over to him but didn’t say or do anything. She prepared herself in case he did anything.

            “Mr. and Mrs. Stone, we know this is hard but we need to ask you some questions about your daughter,” Morgan said tenderly. They both nodded. “Did your daughter have a boyfriend or someone she liked?”

            “No,” Mr. Stone answered. “She’s never had a boyfriend and I’ve never known her to like anyone.”

            “No,” Mrs. Stone agreed.

            “Has she talked about anyone new recently, anyone she’s met that didn’t seem right to you?” They both shook their heads. “What about someone following her? Did she tell you about anything strange going on?”

            “No, and if someone was following her, she would have dealt with it herself.” Mrs. Stone responded.

            “What do you mean?” Morgan asked.

            “Maiti always carried a knife on her. She was skilled in hand to hand, something she taught herself. She was exceptionally strong. She hated guns but could shoot with accuracy if forced.” Mr. Stone explained. He chuckled softly. He nodded towards the fireplace. Two daggers hung above the clock. One was in a nice black sheath, untouched. The other one was in a worn brown sheath. “The brown one was the one she practiced with. She’d throw it at targets for hours. The black one is her most prized possession. She bought it in Germany. She was fiercely independent. I think that’s why she was so alone. No guy wanted a girl who could beat them at anything and then do what ‘only girls’ can do. Ezra was the only one we know who could tolerate and appreciate her that way.”

            “Ezra, her best friend?” Prentiss asked. The parents nodded. The brother scoffed. Everyone turned to face him.

            “Sean, what is it?” Prentiss asked. Sean rolled his head to look at her, his eyes angry.

            “Maiti wasn’t unappreciated by all the guys. They loved her. They were just too afraid to say anything about it. Every guy in my freshman class had a crush on her at one point or another. That’s before she lost all that weight. She isn’t fake. She isn’t an attention grabber. She was a social outcast but she was smart. Deadly smart. She was fork tongued too. Maiti could cut you down with words faster than you can comprehend. She didn’t care what people thought about her. Ezra was the only one who did anything. They may not have been in love but they loved each other. She protected him. He protected her.”

            “Protected her? From what?” Mrs. Stone asked.

            “Emotional abuse.” Sean spat.

            “Did you abuse your daughter?” Prentiss asked.

            “No!” Mr. Stone exclaimed. Sean laughed harshly.

            “It wasn’t _them_. It was all of them. Those girls at school. One or two, she could take. Fifteen all at once,” he laughed once. “She almost broke a girl’s ribs for making fun of her in a group. Maiti called her a coward for having to have a posse just to take on one person. The girl said that Maiti was a male elephant stuffed in a girl’s body. Ezra had to hold her back for almost an hour before she calmed down enough to walk away and forget about it.”

            “Why didn’t she ever say anything?” Mrs. Stone whispered.

            “Because you wouldn’t have done anything about it!” Sean yelled. “She was bullied during elementary school, threatened during middle school, and you never did anything! You tried to change her instead of dealing with those bitches. Losing weight, putting on makeup, changing her clothes. It’s a wonder she never tried to steal Dad’s clothes as well as mine. She didn’t want to give in to them and their taunts.”

            “She took your clothes – “ Mrs. Stone started.

            “Sean, you were close to your sister, weren’t you?” Prentiss interrupted.

            “She didn’t have many friends. She knew I was one of the few people she could trust. One of the only guys.” Sean trailed off.

            “One of the only guys? What do you mean?” Morgan asked.

            “That bastard molested her when she was nine. She didn’t say anything because she believed that no one would believe her. Who would believe that a man who had molested two pretty ten year olds would molest a fat nine year old? _That’s_ why she was depressed. She never would have gone with this guy willingly unless she had known him.”

            “Why?” Prentiss asked.

            “Her greatest fear,” Sean said, “was men.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Reid and JJ sat across from a pale red head, no more than twenty. He fidgeted with his thumbs. His normally cutting blue eyes were bloodshot red. He sniffed a couple of times before Reid started asking him questions.

"How long have you known Maiti?"

"Um, seven years?" Ezra said. "We met in our freshman year in high school. So I guess six actually."

"Were you ever romantically involved?" JJ asked. Ezra was quiet for a moment. Reid thought it was peculiar. He was hiding something. He eventually answered.

"Freshman year. Right after my fifteenth birthday. We never told anyone because she was afraid her dad would be upset. It didn't work out. I had fallen in love with my current girlfriend soon after Maiti and I had tried dating. She didn't like me much then so we broke it off. We have been best friends ever since. I know it's weird but it works for us." Ezra laughed. "She called me 'Ezra Pound' for the longest time after we declared our majors. We have the same major, uh, English." He played with his thumbs for a moment. "She was too smart for it."

"What do you mean?" Reid asked.

"Her IQ was 172. She was excellent in everything she tried but she wanted to teach. She was willing to give up being able to be famous, to be a big change in this world, in order to help kids. Sometimes, she hated being smart. She couldn't relate to most people. Finding a guy who could hold a conversation with her was rare. Most of the time, he'd become lewd and she'd walk away. They only wanted one thing from her." He fell silent. Reid waited for him to continue. JJ noticed he didn't understand. She leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"He means sex, Spence." He nodded in understanding.

"Statistically, in this country, a majority of men still believe that the perfect woman has to be intellectually lower than him so as to feel a sense of power or dominance in the relationship. Many of the intellectual women in this country cannot sustain a normal relationship due to the men they tend to be drawn to." Reid ranted. Ezra laughed.

"Maiti would have liked you. She spouted that statistic every time a guy just wanted her for sex," he paused, "so it was just about every day. She didn't trust many people. Just facts, me, and her brother."

"Did she have any other friends here?" JJ asked.

"Just my roommate and a couple of girls in our class. She wasn't close to any of them. Certainly didn't hang out with them by choice. I was basically her only friend here." He hung his head. "I wish she had made more friends. I wish she had been happier."

"What do you mean?" JJ asked.

"She said she was happy but happy people don't wear black clothes, sit in their apartments alone every weekend, or listen to songs about death all the time. Maybe she really was happy. I don't know." JJ and Reid stayed silent for a moment before getting up. "Please, find her." Ezra said. Looking at Reid, he stated firmly, "I know you can."

"Why is that?" Reid asked.

"You have the same look in your eyes those other guys did but it's different. I know you'll do it." Ezra said before getting up and leaving. JJ just looked at Reid who tried to figure out what Ezra had just said.

At the police department, the team stood in the conference room trying to piece everything together. Reid was slightly distracted by what Ezra had said. He tried to focus but his mind kept trailing back to their conversation.

"Ok, so this girl is the stereotypical popular girl and yet she is a social outcast. Her rooms at home and at her apartment are completely different. She wear's men's clothes instead of women's. She doesn't wear makeup. What is it this unsub is after? The unsub hasn't tried to reach out to the parents or the media yet." Morgan asked.

"Garcia, run background checks on everyone who has ever been associated with Maiti. I think the answer is right in front of us." Hotch said. They heard furious typing on the other side of the phone.

"What about a geographical profile?" Prentiss asked, wearily. Reid didn't answer. He sat staring at the case file again. Prentiss snapped her fingers a couple of times before Morgan shouted. "Reid!"

"No, no geographical profile. One kidnapping in a town this size doesn't narrow down anything." Reid muttered.

"Reid," Morgan said, "what's up? You've been so distracted on this case." Reid just shook his head. JJ giggled. Reid shot her a look, hoping she'd stay quiet.

"Maiti's best friend thinks that Reid has a crush on her." JJ said. Reid could feel his face going red.

"That's only because I'm just as smart as she is. Ezra thinks that is all that matters. Can we get back to the case please?" Reid snapped. Morgan chuckled.

"Once we find her, we'll see about that." Morgan teased.

At that moment, the sheriff entered the room. "We got a call saying they saw Maiti and an older man in a gas station." The team jumped up as one to go. "The manager sent over the tapes."

On the tape, they saw Maiti enter the gas station with a man who looked to be about forty. He hid most of his face for the entire time they were in the station. He held Maiti tightly around her shoulders, guiding her way around the store. She wriggled under his grip but couldn't break free. After a few minutes, he bent over to pick up a candy bar. She took the opportunity to swing her right arm up into his nose. He let go of her out of instinct to grab his nose. She kicked him in the stomach and shouted. The camera was too far away to catch her words. She turned and ran towards the door. Realizing he had let go, he stood up and ran after her. They never reentered.

"Go back to when she was shouting," Reid said. Morgan rewinded the tape to when she kicked the man. Reid watched again. "She's shouting, 'You disgust me.' She's not showing fear. She's not crying. She's only angry."

"Her dad said she was good at fighting. Maybe fear isn't something she exhibits. Maybe that's what he's getting off on. He knows she doesn't show fear and is trying to incite that in her. He gets off on her fear but she doesn't show any. If that's true, how much longer can she last. She's been missing for four days now." Rossi said.

"Where was this?" Hotch asked the detective.

"On Prince. It's on the same side of town where she lives," the sheriff responded.

Reid grabbed the nearest map and started drawing. He mapped out a five mile radius around the gas station. "This would be his comfort zone. Her apartment is just outside of this zone and her house is a mile farther than that. He could have taken her from her apartment and then stayed inside his zone."

"Go back to the friend. See if she said anything to him about going off campus. Maybe the unsub got her when she went out." Hotch commanded.

Morgan and JJ found Ezra in the campus library pouring over a book. As they got closer, Morgan was able to make out that it was handwritten. Ezra closed it as they reached his table. No one said anything for a moment as Ezra flipped the book between his hands.

"I found this in my backpack this morning. It's Maiti's. She's had it for years, look like. I've only gotten to her eighth birthday. She must have put it in my backpack Tuesday morning. I haven't touched my homework since she disappeared," he laughed quietly.

"Mind if we take it?" JJ asked. Ezra shook his head and handed it to her.

"If she says anything about her roommate in there, please keep that to yourself. Maiti didn't like confronting her roommate. It really sucked for her, especially after the break in."

"There were no signs of a roommate," Morgan stated.

"She is really living with her boyfriend but she pays for the apartment so her parents and grandparents don't find out about her having sex with her boyfriend," Ezra scoffed. "She rarely ever was at the apartment. She was there when the guy broke in though. Awkward timing."

"Wait, what break in?" JJ asked.

"Sunday night, some guy broke in their apartment," Ezra said, confused. "Allison filed the police report. Nothing's happened yet." He looked between the two FBI agents. "You didn't know?"

"No, but we will," Morgan said angrily as he pulled out his phone and hit speed dial. "Hotch. We need to find the roommate and the police report. Apparently, some guy broke into Maiti's apartment Sunday. He might have been the unsub."

Prentiss and Reid drove the forty-five minute drive to the boyfriend's house. Allison's small blue car sat outside the run down house. They knocked on the front door, which opened to reveal a short stocky woman. She looked no older than twenty-one.

"Allison?" Prentiss asked. Allison nodded and rubbed her eyes. "I'm SSA Prentiss and this is Dr. Reid from the FBI. We need to talk to you about your roommate, Maiti. May we come in?" Allison said nothing as she moved out of the way, gesturing for them to come in. The small living room looked just as run down as the outside. Prentiss and Reid made their way to the middle as Allison plopped down onto the couch. She still said nothing but stared at the two agents.

"Allison, we have a report that someone broke into your apartment Sunday night. What happened?" Prentiss asked. Allison rolled her eyes and started to pick at her fingers. She had an air of uncaring that Reid didn't appreciate. It made his blood boil for some reason.

"Allison, the man that broke into your apartment may have been the man who kidnapped your roommate. If you care about her, at all, you'll tell us what happened before we arrest you for obstruction of justice." Reid said heatedly. Prentiss sat in shock. Allison sat up quickly.

"Seriously?" she whispered. Reid nodded curtly. She sat for a moment then answered quietly. "I was in the living room crying. Nathan and I had gotten into a fight again. Maiti was frustrated because I wasn't listening to her. She ran upstairs to get something when there was a knock at the front door. I thought it was Nathan so I opened it. It was some guy. He looked to be about thirty-five. He pushed me into the stairs and held me down. Before he could say anything, Maiti came running down and attacked him. They fought for a while. She pushed him out into the parking lot before kicking him in the nose. She yelled for him to stay away or else she wouldn't be so merciful the next time. She slammed the door in his face and locked it. She wasn't scared. She was just even angrier than before. She helped me up then waited an hour before leaving. She said that kickboxing helped her relieve anger so I guess she went to the gym. I left after she did and I haven't seen her since." Allison fell quiet.

"What did the man look like?" Prentiss asked, stealing glances at Reid. He wasn't looking at either woman but rather the one in his mind.

"Um, tall. He was taller than Maiti and she's really tall so I'd guess about 6'4. Sandy brown hair, I think. I don't know if he was strong or if I was caught by surprise. He didn't say anything the entire time. I've never seen him before." Allison scrunched her face trying to remember anything else. She shook her head after a moment.

"We know that she didn't like pictures but do you have any of her that are recent?" Prentiss asked. Allison jumped up at that.

"Yeah. I told her they were for a project in class. I'm a photography major. I really just wanted her to see how beautiful she really is. We were going to give some to her parents if they turned out well. I never got the chance to show them to her," she rambled as she searched through a stack of papers. They were stacked near a large printer on a desk across the room in what looked like a crazed mess. Reid wondered how two people who were so different agreed to "room together." Allison seemed to find the few pages she was looking for. She handed them to Reid. He turned them over to see a black and white close up glamour shot of Maiti. Her hair was curled, her face lightly touched by makeup. He flipped through them, admiring her immense beauty that emanated from all of them. The rest were farther away with Maiti standing or sitting in an abandoned field playing a variety of instruments. One of them had her laughing, bent over with a dark colored guitar on her back. He could only imagine how enticing her laughter must be. Her long legs were poking out of denim shorts that looked to be from someone else's closet, too short for the preference he saw in her own closet. She wore a billowing camisole that slightly hugged her thin waist. She was also barefoot. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Allison whispered. Reid looked up to see her standing at his elbow, looking at the pictures with him. "I had to borrow clothes from a friend so she wouldn't look like such a small child. That's what she's hiding beneath those baggy clothes." She pointed to Maiti in the last picture. She sat cross legged in the middle of the field, smiling slightly at the camera with a guitar next to her. "She was so gifted, so smart. She's a dream for any girl but she doesn't allow anyone to see that." Reid couldn't find the words to say.

"Thank you for your time, Allison." Prentiss said, taking the photos from Reid and walking towards the door. Reid quietly followed her out the door without looking back.


	3. Chapter 3

Back at the station, Morgan, Prentiss, JJ, and Rossi tried piecing together everything they had been told. Hotch was at the gas station with the sheriff figuring things out there. Reid sat in the corner reading Maiti's journal. He was slightly disturbed by the amount of hand drawn eyes on the pages from what he guessed was her seventh grade year to the present. They improved drastically as he continued to read. He knew that an obsession with eyes was a symptom of identity crisis. He didn't see it as significant to the case so opted not to show the rest of the team. If it was necessary, he'd show them later. He scratched his chin, unused to the feel of not shaving. He had been too preoccupied with the case to worry about that since the team had arrived. The team had teased him continually until they realized he wasn't paying attention. The last two pages finally gave him what he needed. Written under the Sunday's date, she described the break in and the fight with the suspected unsub.

_I didn't know what to do. I heard Allison hit the stairs. I thought she had fallen but when she didn't say anything, I knew something was wrong. She always curses when she falls. Well, when she's here. I ran to the stairs to see someone on top of her. I thought he was going to rape her until I noticed he was studying her face. He realized she wasn't who he wanted. I ran down the stairs and jumped on his back, knocking him away from Allison. He was caught by surprise. What man wouldn't be? We fought for a few minutes. It was like a red screen started to block my eyes. All I could see was red hot anger. He attacked my friend! In that moment, I was exceptionally glad I took self-defense classes for four years. It is programmed in my brain. Also, I am ashamed to admit but, I left my knife upstairs out of panic. He wasn't very strong. I also believe he thought I'd be in too much fear to fight properly. No one should underestimate me. I know I can sound conceited but I'm not. I can just fight. I kicked him out the door then kicked him in the nose. That's when I recognized him. The man who broke in is Samuel Brown Jr. I almost went into a blind rage to just rid the world of his worthlessness. But I decided that as I had whooped his ass, he'd leave me alone. I hope I'm right._

The next page was dog-eared. The entry was very short and not much of a journal entry. It was a note.

_Ezra,_

_Samuel Brown Jr is following me. I'm leaving my journal with you in case I go missing. I won't be afraid. I won't submit. Find me._

_If something happens, I love you. You're the best friend I've ever had._

_Maiti_

Reid jumped up to join the team at the table. He slammed the journal down in front of Morgan open to the last entry.

"I found our unsub," Reid almost shouted. He punched the number 2 on his phone, speed dialing Garcia. "Garcia, would you look up anything for Samuel Brown Jr.?"

"Yes, boy wonder," Garcia's voice squeaked, her fingers started rapidly hitting the keyboard. "Ok, I've got he was born and raised in your girl's area. He had outstanding grades in school, was a regular churchgoer. He moved after – Oh, God. His father is the man who molested Maiti and her friends. He moved after his father's death with his mother even though he was almost thirty. He's a tech analyst but it doesn't say where he graduated from. Never married, no kids. No debts, nothing on his record other than his father's cursed name."

"Are you sure?" Reid begged. He heard a loud beep on the other end of the phone.

"His mother filed a Missing Person's report Sunday morning. He hasn't shown up yet." Garcia whispered.

"Thanks, Garcia." Reid hung up. "Guys, I got a name. Samuel Brown Jr. He broke into Maiti's apartment Sunday and his mother filed a Missing Person's the same day. In her journal entry to Ezra, she says he was following her. He must have stalked her Monday and Tuesday to find the best time to take her. He took her when no one was around to see it."

"Ok, so we have our unsub but how do we find him?" Morgan asked.

"We have to wait for him to mess up again." Prentiss supplied. At that moment, Hotch quickly walked into the room. "I think he just did," he said and turned round out of the room. The team followed behind him.

In the cybercrimes lab, the large computer screen showed a video of a young woman in a small almost empty room. It looked like she was dressed in a small spaghetti strap dress. She was lying on an old mattress, not moving. Reid could see that she was alive due to her chest movements. She was breathing. A computerized voice came on along with pictures. The pictures were far away and in different locations and different days. They were of Maiti.

"This is my very special friend, Maiti. Who all would like to borrow her for the night? Highest bidder gets her."

"He stalked her then kidnapped her. It looks like he stalked her for months. Look at this picture here," Prentiss said, pointing at the picture on the screen. Maiti was bigger, hair scrunched up. The next picture, she was smaller with her hair down and longer. The last picture shown was her glamour shot. The video snapped back on. Maiti was now sitting on the mattress, staring at the opposing wall. "We have to get Garcia to trace this."

"On it," Morgan said, instantly calling the tech analyst.

"We have to be the highest bidder," Reid said. Prentiss, JJ, Hotch, and Rossi just stared at him. "Garcia may not be able to find the video. She said he was a tech analyst as well. If she can't find him, we have to become the highest bidder so we can get her out of there. He won't reveal where he is until the auction is over."

"The auction is over in four hours," the cybercrimes cop said. Morgan walked back into the room.

"Garcia can't trace it."

"I'm trying!" she shouted through the phone in his hand. He snapped it shut.

"Do it. Bid now," Reid commanded.

"Reid –" Hotch said.

"The statistical likelihood that she'll survive is too little for us to think about this. If she survives her winner's fantasies, it's likely that Brown will kill her tomorrow if not just torture her until she dies. If we want to save her, we need to win the auction and go undercover to get her. It's the safest way," Reid said rapidly and loudly. Everyone looked to Hotch. He stood silent for a moment, processing Reid's argument. Then he nodded to the cop. The cop instantly started typing. Reid sighed quietly, unaware that he had been holding his breath.

"You better be right, Reid," Hotch said.

"You better be thinking with your brain too," Morgan muttered to where only Reid and JJ could hear. JJ's face went grave as Reid's started glowing red. He had never been angry at Morgan but there was a first for everything. He marched back to the conference room to continue pouring over the evidence.

Four hours later, the cybercrime cop announced that he had won.

"He said he'll give up the address in an hour. It was easy to win though. There weren't many who were bidding on her. No one wants a nineteen year old girl nowadays. It's all about the minors. But it's almost fifty thousand dollars. Our town can't afford that," he said worriedly.

"Just fax the bill. The FBI will take care of it," Rossi said. "Now the next question is: who will go undercover?"

"Morgan and Hotch don't look like the sex offender types," JJ said. "He'd catch on if they went to pick her up. I think it should be Reid."

"Why?" Rossi said.

"Ezra said she was exceptionally smart. What if she tries to tell us something but we don't understand it? Reid's the only one who could decipher what she's saying," Prentiss supplied. "He's our best chance at saving her."

Reluctantly, the rest of the team agreed with the two women. Reid just secretly hoped he could keep his head in the game to pull this off. For the next hour, the team sat agitatedly waiting on the address.

"He's across town in an abandoned warehouse," the cybercrime cop said.

"How cliché are these guys?" Prentiss muttered to JJ. JJ had to fight the urge to chuckle. Instantly, the two of them all but ganged up on Reid. JJ started to take off his tie while Prentiss messed up his hair. Caught in a flurry of hands and movement, Reid reacted a little too late.

"What are you doing?" he asked loudly. They didn't stop at they answered.

"You look too smart. And yes, we realize that sex offenders can look just like you but he doesn't. If he's there, he may think something is up if you show up looking like a Harvard professor." Prentiss said as she unbuttoned his sweater vest. He started to fight back until he processed what she said. He then took off his own jacket and vest while JJ undid the first button of his shirt. "Now, we need a different jacket and a wire or earpiece."

"Ear piece is too obvious," Morgan said, amused at the sudden fashion attack. "Do you have any wires around here?" The sheriff shook his head.

"We don't have anything like this ever go on. Guess we never supplied ourselves because of it."

"I have an eidetic memory. I'll be fine without a wire or earpiece. I have my phone too," Reid said as he slipped on a rugged coat one of the passing police officers gave him. It was large enough that it hid the existence of his gun. "Ok, when do I go?"

"Now," Hotch said, grabbing the top of his arm and pulling him out of the station.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Reid stood alone at the entrance of the warehouse. The rest of the team was waiting outside the gates of the complex, ready to move in if necessary. He messed with his hair out of habit before remembering he needed to look slightly scruffy.  _This beard helps with that,_ he thought. Carefully, he pushed the large door open. He couldn't see any light apart from the light outside. He closed the door and waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness.

"Hello?" he called, deepening his voice a little. A single light snapped on in the back. Then, a computerized voice rang through the warehouse.

"Girl, move forward." Light footsteps made their way towards Reid out of the darkness. She limped slightly but tried her best not to show weakness. She was barefoot and still in the tiny dress she had been wearing in the video. Her skin was dark with dirt and bruises. Reid felt an overwhelming sense of pity and yet he felt even more drawn to her. Her strength was amazing. She stopped about three feet in front of him and scrutinized him. Her calm grey eyes blazed with anger and hatred. "You have until before daybreak then she must be returned to me. Don't rough her up too much. I have other customers." The voice and the light shut off. Reid opened the door and, in case of cameras, grabbed her roughly by the upper arms. He dragged her to the rental car he had while not making contact with his team. That was the signal to stay away.

He drove without a word to a nearby motel where the police had set up. Believing in the possibility that Brown had put some type of tracking device in or on Maiti, they were cautious of bringing her to the station. Before they got out of the car, Maiti grabbed Reid's arm. He looked at her and was about to speak when she placed a finger on his lips. She closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts, then opened them. She looked Reid full in the face. She let go of his arm and started tugging on the right strap of her dress. Reid just about protested when she pressed harder on his lips. He looked at her shoulder and saw what she wanted him to see. A wire. Taped to the inside of her dress was a wire. He nodded to show he understood. They got out of the car and headed for the room. Reid was still hoping he could do this. Once inside, Maiti all but jumped on Reid. She forced him to turn around and face him. He yelled out in surprise as her hands started moving in a peculiar fashion in midair. It was American Sign language.

"What do you want to do to me first, big boy?" she asked seductively.  _Please tell me you are someone who can help,_ she signed.

"We can't do anything until you're clean," Reid stammered.  _My name is Dr. Spencer Reid with the FBI._   _I'm here to get you out._ He was going to regret his next line but he needed to make it convincing. "I can't have fun with a filthy bitch like you. Go clean up." He grimaced as he finished.  _I'm sorry._ She only nodded. She walked over to the bathroom and turned on the sink. Maiti turned back around to Reid and stared at him peculiarly.

 _How did you know I could sign?_ he asked.

 _I gave it my best shot. You didn't advance on me in the warehouse like his friends did. You haven't said anything. I took a chance._ She turned the sink off.

"What's your first fantasy to complete, sir? I can do  _anything_  you want and more," she said in a low sensual voice. Reid blushed and was extremely grateful for the large coat. This was going to be difficult.  _He has hooked a device to my head. He takes it off when he leaves me. It will release drugs if we don't 'have sex'…unless you want to have real sex._ She looked crestfallen.

"No!" Reid shouted out of instinct. He paused for a moment before trying to think of a way to save himself. "I mean, no, I doubt can do anything." He shrugged at her, hoping she'd catch on that he didn't know what to say. She smiled slightly.  _We need to get you out of here._

"You know what I found most men enjoy before having their fantasies revealed? Poetry. I know, it's odd but I can. If you want." Reid was utterly confused. Without any hesitation, she started. "'The nexte houre of Mercury folwinge this, Arcite unto the temple walked is of fierse Mars, to doon his scarifyse.' Am I your sacrifice, big boy?" she whispered. Reid understood immediately.

"For tonight," he whispered back. "You look too thin. You need energy before we begin. Stay here, like a good bitch, and I'll be right back." It was her turn to look confused. Reid did nothing to clear up his meaning as he quickly left. Outside, he quickly called Hotch. "Hotch, he leaves her alone at three in the afternoon. That's when we need to get her."

"How do you know?" Hotch said.

"She used a line from Chaucer's  _The Knight's Tale_. She said "hour of Mercury" instead of "hour of Mars." In Chaucer's time, they measure their time by the planets instead of by the hours as they had not actual clocks or ways to tell the time." Reid said quickly, getting into his car.

"She obviously thinks Reid is her knight," Morgan teased. He was being unbelievably inappropriate on this case.

"Morgan!"

"So we'll have to wait until three tomorrow to get her out?" Prentiss asked.

"Yes. He has a drug release system attached to her hair on the back of her head. He can remotely overdose her if something goes wrong. He also has her dress wired."

"So you have to stay with her the whole night?" JJ asked. Reid growled, frustrated.

"Reid, you keep her safe. We'll figure out what to do from here. Call us in the morning or if something goes wrong," Rossi said then the phone clicked off.

Fifteen minutes later, Reid returned to the motel. He threw a bag onto the bed as Maiti left the bathroom. She looked at the bag then at him. Grabbing a sandwich from inside, he tossed it at her.

"Eat," he commanded roughly, "but don't eat too much. Don't want you to get fat." He grimaced involuntarily again. He hated degrading women but he had no choice.

"I have such a generous master tonight, don't I?" she laughed quietly. The young doctor amazingly confounded her as well as entranced her. He placed a small dark jacket over her shoulders as she ate, one she assumed was his. It had a smell of books and paper as well as general men's cologne. She liked that smell. It reminded her of her father but was different. She could pick out different scents too. Gunpowder for one. Something her brother always smelled like. It took some will power for her not to be completely mesmerized by the comforting smells. When she finished her sandwich, she stood up at the end of the bed and watched the agent. He was quickly reading a book he must have grabbed. It wasn't in any language she knew. Out of a recently formed habit, she slinked over into his line of sight. He looked up just as she physically forced herself to stop slinking. He was different. She'd be safe tonight.

"Wanna get started?"  _What are we going to do?_

"I guess it's a good time. I've only got until day break."  _I don't know._  She stood for a moment in thought. Reid was out of his comfort zone and out of any options. This was going to be completely up to her. She knew the game. Gasping, she looked into his dark brown eyes.  _We have to fake it._

_What do you mean?_

_He's listening right now. We have to fake sex and everything. Quick, get on the bed._ She grabbed his arm and dragged him onto the bed. Reid sat perplexed for a millisecond before her lips came crashing down on his. He sat still for a moment, resisting, before he gave in and kissed her back. For a moments, they had a silent battle for dominance. Her hands grasped his face while his hands lightly held onto her thin waist. This game was getting too difficult for him. Right as he was about to pull back, she did. Gasping for air, they both stared at each other. Then, she started to wiggle, forcing the bed to squeak. He caught on. Almost rhythmically, they swayed back and forth. She grabbed for his belt suddenly. His hand caught on top of hers. This wasn't real.

"Trust me," she whispered. He stopped swaying to think. Eventually, he let go of her hand. She noisily took off his belt to where it clinked near the wire. Throwing the belt aside, she made no other moves. Small gasps started to escape her lips followed by louder gasps. She was feigning sex noises. Reid joined in a little hesitantly. He followed her lead. To any outsider, it sounded almost like completely normal sex. If anyone had been watching, they would have seen two adults awkwardly swaying on a bed, staring at each other. They continued this for nearly two hours, sometimes shouting out expletives or certain phrases. Reid grimaced every time he cursed, making it hard on Maiti not to laugh. It was definitely one of the strangest cases Reid had ever worked.

After those two hours, Maiti fell asleep in Reid's arms. For the first time in a very long time, she felt a sense of safety. Reid simply watched her until he fell asleep.

Four a.m. came too quickly for Reid but he had to put his head back in the game. He looked over at Maiti, still asleep on his arm. He shook her gently. Slowly, she opened her eyes, staring at Reid. A piercing scream emanated from her lips as she fell onto the floor. She covered her head with her arms, curling into the fetal position. Reid had only seen this once, with an autistic boy named Sammy. He deduced quickly she was having a posttraumatic stress attack. He knelt down next to her and took her hand in his. With her wire still attached, he couldn't say anything comforting. He could only attempt to calm her by showing he wasn't going to hurt her. Her screams subsided after a few minutes. Gaining insight on her surroundings and what had happened, she curled up into and upright ball next to the bed, her head stuck between her knees. She rocked slightly. Reid wanted to hold her close but was too afraid he'd cause another attack. He sat at the end of the bed, waiting. Once she was calm, she put on a face that was unreadable. She stood up, completely erect, and passed Reid towards the car. Perplexed, he followed her. Not a word passed between them on the ride back to the warehouse. It worried Reid how quiet Maiti was but he didn't say anything.

When they reached the warehouse, Maiti only pressed Reid back into his seat with a light touch. He glanced down at her hand, at the ragged fingernails trying not to claw into his chest. She sighed before taking off his jacket, placing it on the seat, and leaving the car. She walked slowly but robotically towards the warehouse, in the door, and out of Reid's sight.  _Three o'clock,_  he thought repeatedly, consciously controlling his breathing all the way back to the station.

Nearing three, the team and a majority of the police squad were stationed outside of the warehouse. Reid held back near the cars as the rest planned the next few moves. Shaking his head, Reid tried to physically get Maiti out of his head. His worry was becoming overwhelming to the point where he couldn't think straight. That morning, he had confused Garcia and JJ twice. Morgan had to correct him both times as he never realized he was wrong. He tried a breathing technique his mother forced upon him to calm down but it wasn't working. Every breath he took only reminded him of the possibility that Maiti, the young brilliant woman he had become attached to, could be dead or dying just a few yards from where he stood. He even vomited before the team left the station from all his pent up worry. What was it about this victim? He had never even had a real conversation with her. Lila and the bartender were different. He had at least spoken with them before breaking the rules between his heart and brain.

Rossi's appearance at his shoulder broke Reid out of his trance. Neither one said a word. No words were needed. Inside Rossi's mind, he recalled the cases he had crossed the line, the ones that caused him to write the rules for the BAU. Reid was like Rossi in so many ways that it was unbelievable and this was one of them. The inability to control emotions. After a minute or two of silence, Reid left Rossi at the car to join up with Morgan. The older profiler just watched, hoping and praying that Reid wouldn't screw everything up.


	5. Chapter 5

"There you are, pretty boy," Morgan called jovially. Reid didn't dignify the call with a response. He just glanced between the remainder of his team, hoping someone would fill him in. "We're going to have to catch him when he's leaving. We have all the exits covered in the complex and to the warehouse. There's nothing else we can do without running the risk of killing the girl." Reid simply nodded. Their answer came almost twenty minutes later.

"I know you're out there," called a computerized voice, "and I know the bitch told you. Leave, now, before I kill her. It will be all your fault. Can you live with that on your conscious, officers? Agents? Doctor Reid?" Reid stood in shock. He knew he really shouldn't. It was common knowledge that the FBI's BAU was in town and with the BAU came the famous Dr. Reid. But to single him out, now, was only a foreboding note in Reid's mind. "If you do not leave within the next five minutes, I will be throwing her dead, mutilated body out for all of you to see." Brown laughed harshly. "It would only cover up what's already been done to her." Reid couldn't hold back any longer. He wasn't going to be at fault for a death today because there wasn't going to be one. He stepped out from behind the police squad wall and into the clearing. He could vaguely hear Hotch, Morgan, and JJ protesting but he paid them no mind. This wasn't their battle to fight anymore. It was his. It had always been his. He holstered his gun, clicking the safety on. The loud sound of Velcro echoed through the silence as he ripped his bullet-proof vest off and tossed it aside. He had no fear running htrough his mind now. His fight or flight adrenaline was in overloaded flight.

"Brown," Reid called loudly, "we know why you're doing this. We know what your father did to Maiti and her friends. We also know what Maiti did to you. She killed your father, didn't she? She deserves all the pain that you have given her and more. She deserves," he gulped, hating what he was forced to say, "she deserves to die." There was silence. Reid inched towards the warehouse door. "She-she disgraced your family name, telling those lies. Her friends did too. But you couldn't find them, could you? They were smart enough to move away from here. Maiti wasn't. Maiti was stupid and stayed here. In a way, she defied you. She continued to spread those lies by staying. You had had enough. You wanted her lies to stop. You wanted your life back. And the only way to do that was to make her lies come true, wasn't it? We can help you get the truth out there. We can help you tell everyone that Maiti and her friends are liars. All you have to do is come out, with the girl, and we'll help you." Silence.

"Only Dr. Reid can come inside," the computerized voice finally said, not quite as harsh as the other times. Reid could tell his tactic was working. He was breaking Brown down. He all but ran the remaining three yards to the door, pulling on the large door open with all the force he could muster, and stepping into the dark warehouse. The door slammed shut behind him, causing an involuntary jump. Reid stood there, hopeless, waiting for something to happen. No lights snapped on. No one stepped forward. He decided that he needed to make the first move. Blindly, he started heading forward. He couldn't hear anything but the sounds of his own footsteps. Within a few feet, he hit what felt like a chain link fence. A rancid odor filled his nostrils, of blood and bodily waste. From that alone, he could only picture what was happening, what Brown had forced Maiti to endure. He felt his way down the fence to an opening. He stepped forward. A light snapped on to reveal a sight that Reid would never be able to forget. Sprawled half naked on a thin worn mattress was Maiti. Her entire body was covered in large black bruises, welts, and deep cuts. Blood slowly seeped from a gash on her arm. Her breathing was slow and ragged. Her head had a few bald spots, spots where Reid assumed Brown held her as he beat her, the hair yanking out as she tried to fight back. Reid hurried to her side, pulling her dress down to cover as much of her body as he could. Rage flew through his mind, blinding him of his logical and level headed thinking. All he wanted was to shoot Brown until there was nothing left. He wanted to inflict as much pain as possible without killing him, only to leave him dying a slow death. He wanted to force every pain and fear Maiti had endured the past week and a half onto her tormenter tenfold. But that wasn't how it needed to be done.

"She was such a beauty before, when she was younger." A deep voice bounced slightly around behind Reid. Reid gripped the ankles of his pants tightly as he stayed knelt down by Maiti, getting a grip on reality. "My father really liked her. Said she was so sweet and kind to every person she ever met. He felt like she was special. But then after she ruined his life, she became a spiteful bitch. She couldn't keep her forked tongue down, not even if her life depended on it. And it did. But," he sighed, "that's all in the past. My father's name is restored and hers has been put in its rightful place. Down with the Devil himself. Do you want to know, Dr. Reid, how I knew that it was you out there to take me down? Hmm?" He paused for a moment, mocking Reid. "When two had your 'fun' last night, I had a feeling she wasn't doing her job. There wasn't any beating. There wasn't any force. It sounded too simple, too easy. And when she returned without a scratch, well," he huffed, "that was the last straw. I kicked her, right in the stomach, demanding to know what had happened. Sure, she fell, but she wasn't going to show any weakness. She stayed silent for so long as I beat her that I thought you had cut her tongue out. It wasn't until I got to have my own fun that she started talking. She screamed at first but then she kept saying, 'Spencer, help me, please. Spencer, please!' The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit has a Spencer. The FBI is in town. She wasn't doing her job. And who pays fifty thousand dollars for a night with a bitch like her?" He laughed. It sent a trickle of fear down Reid's spine. They had messed up. Before they even had a chance, they had killed her. "It all made sense from there. She was a liar then. She's a liar now."

A large hand roughly grabbed Reid's shoulder, yanking him to a standing position. He stumbled for a moment then stood completely erect, facing Brown. His face was an almost exact duplicate of his father's. The wide cheekbones, the deep set dark eyes, the thin, menacingly curled lips. All of them were staring Reid in the face, taunting him, mocking everything that had happened in the past few days. Brown knew there was but one way out. Reid knew the same thing. Before Reid could react, Brown punched him square in the nose. The force pushed Reid back on top of Maiti who groaned softly. Reid jumped back up, blood running down his lips and chin. Being half Brown's size and much less physically apt, he would only be able to rely on his speed to survive. Brown threw another punch. This time, Reid was able to dodge it, spinning behind Brown and delivering a blow of his own to the back of Brown's head. The brutish man spun around, swinging his left arm wildly into Reid's thin stomach. The blow sent him back onto the ground, this time landing on his holstered gun. The pain radiated from his hip with such a blinding force that Reid could only see stars. Brown kicked him in the stomach. The small doctor curled up, grabbing his stomach and groaning. The large man laughed again, this time with such vibrato that it filled the entirety of the warehouse. The sound rung in Reid's ears.

"You are a piece of shit, Dr. Reid. How you became a protector of this country is a puzzle to me. You can't even defend yourself," Brown knelt down beside Reid, "and you aren't even worth killing." He whispered. The next punch landed on Reid's shoulder, dislocating it. Reid shouted out in pain. Brown stood up, laughing once more. He turned away from Reid, glancing at Maiti. "She wasn't worth all this trouble. You should have left her alone. She's just shit."

"No, she isn't," Reid called out. Brown spun around to see Reid standing, one arm lifeless next to his side, gun pointing at Brown. Before he could respond, the deafening sound of a gunshot rang through to police outside.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the story.

A small shake awoke Reid. The nurse standing in front of him was holding a tray of food for two. Reid took a look around to figure out what was happening. The pain in his shoulder told him it was put back into place but was possibly broken. His arm hung in a dark blue sling, his stomach thickly bandaged. With his free hand, he could feel the cut on his forehead was stitched. That's when he saw the bed. Next to him in a hospital bed was Maiti. Her visible bruises were healing, some of them turning brown or yellow while others were still a sickeningly dark color. Her head was covered with a cap, possibly to hide her bald spots. Asleep, she was still able to appear at peace. The nurse placed the tray on the table between Reid and Maiti before going to check on her vitals. Then she turned her attention to the young doctor.

"You need to go back to your own room, Dr. Reid. Your friends will be looking for you and you need some pain – "

'I'm not going to take any narcotics," Reid interrupted.

"At least go back to your room. Ms. Stone hasn't woken since you two arrived. You've been asleep in that chair for almost eight hours. You need proper sleep. And she needs to see her family first when she wakes up." The nurse scolded.

"She nineteen," Reid muttered, "she's not a child. Her fami-"

"I'm twenty," a small voice said, breaking the argument. Maiti was struggling to sit up, her arms weak and giving way every time she pushed. The nurse rushed over to assist. Maiti pushed her away, refusing again to show weakness. "I'm twenty now." She said stronger. She glared at the nurse, a sign to go away. The nurse obliged silently. Maiti sighed and slumped lightly into her pillow. "And you know what I did for my birthday?" she whispered.

"No," Reid whispered, "but I'm sorry." Maiti ignored him.

"I sat in that wretched room for hours. Then, when I was about to go to sleep, he grabbed me by the arm and pushed me towards the door. I thought he was going to let me go at first. Then I thought he was going to kill me. He growled in my ear, 'This poor bastard paid a lot of money for a night with you. Make it better than your nights with me or else your whole family will die.' I prepared myself to fight. I had already decided I was going to kill this bastard who bought me. But when I saw him, I couldn't do it. He looked so sad, so frightened. He didn't advance on me. He didn't say anything at all. He grabbed me but didn't mean it. He didn't say anything until we reached the hotel. But he gave me a sense of hope. He fed me. He clothed me, sort of. He sat in the corner, reading a book in a language I didn't know. He didn't make me do anything. He only went along with my plan. Then he held me while I slept. I felt so safe, for the first time in years." Maiti fell silent. Reid did not respond. The silence lapsed for what seemed like an eternity for Reid. "It was the best and worst birthday I've ever had. I was saved shortly afterwards by a knight in shining FBI regulated armor." She laughed lightly. Reid smiled slightly, trying not to give in to his urge to rant. He couldn't resist however.

"There's this law called transference. It's when –"

"If you even  _try_  to tell me that the way I feel about you is because you saved me, you can save it. This isn't just because you were there in the worst time of my life, Spencer," Maiti said with such force and such tenderness that Reid found it disconcerting. "I can tell that you're different. Because there is also this other law in science called attraction. It's not just for animals, you know. Then, there's curiosity, security, and mystery. You hold all of these, Spencer." She turned her head to face him, the first true smile ever reaching her lips.

"Maiti, I can't," Reid whispered. "I've broken protocol already just by wanting to be with you. I put myself in danger. A-and every relationship I've ever tried to start has failed because of my job. I don't want to put you in that position."

"I'm patient," Maiti said, "and I know what this job will take from you. I know what it will take from me, or at least I think I know. I'm willing to risk it. Are you?"

"Maiti, you are so strong. You are so beautiful. You're smart. I don't want you to –"

"I'm willing to risk it. Are you?" She repeated softly, holding Reid's gaze. She slipped her hand into his, holding him there with her. He didn't answer. He sat there, contemplating every possibility.

"Man, just say yes. You'll be here forever arguing if you don't!" Morgan said from the doorway, causing both Maiti and Reid to jump. They broke apart instinctively, unaware how close they had gotten. Morgan and JJ were standing in the doorway smiling at Reid. "You deserve this, Reid. Don't let this one get away."

"You do realize I'm thirty, don't you?" Reid softly asked Maiti.

"I'm not a minor," she smiled, "and age is but a number." Reid stood up, aware his friends were still there but for the first time, not caring, and kissed Maiti of the forehead. She moved her head slightly and caught him on the lips. He chuckled as he made his way out of the room. "Please, stay." Maiti whispered. Reid looked at Morgan and JJ.

"We'll tell Hotch the doctors haven't cleared you yet." JJ supplied. "We have another case. Get back as soon as you can, Spence." She hugged him tenderly then left, Morgan in tow biting back a laugh. Reid sat back down next to Maiti, slipping his hand into hers.

A few months later, Reid hung up the phone loudly at his desk. Morgan and Prentiss looked around at him as he pulled his gun out of his desk then ripped the sling off his arm. He twisted his shoulder in every direction he could. It felt nice to finally have free range of his arm again and to have the knowledge he could go back into the field. Morgan laughed as he made his way to Reid's desk.

"Doctor finally give you the okay?"

"Yeah, even though I would have been able to determine that three weeks ago. But as Hotch doesn't take my medical opinion seriously, I had to wait for an actual medical doctor to say it was ok." Reid said, leaning back in his chair. Just as he did so, he hit his chair on the mail basket as the mail carrier stopped behind him. He jumped forward as the carrier handed him a package. Morgan looked at him inquisitively. Reid ignored him as he reached into his desk for a knife. In the open drawer, Morgan could see a stack of neatly taken care of papers. Only Reid knew they were letters and pictures from Maiti. Reid wrote as frequently to her as he did to his mother, feeling guilty he couldn't visit. Maiti didn't mind. She knew how important his job was and that his mother was more important during his free time. She responded to his letters at first with the chaos that ensued after they left, the scandals people made up and believed. Maiti was the brunt of many stares but she didn't care. She and Ezra knew the truth.  _Everyone else can suck it!_  she wrote. She sent pictures or stories afterwards. She explained her everyday life was too mundane for him to take the time to read. He insisted he wanted to but she refused.

Reid reached under the stack of papers for a moment then pulled out with a magazine in his hand. It was the magazine that featured Lila and Reid on the cover, large letters shouting out  _LILA'S NEW MYSTERY MAN._  He stared at it for a moment before throwing it in the trash followed by his business card with a set of lipstick lips on the back. Digging for a moment longer, he found his knife and proceeded to cut open the package to find a black eloquent picture frame inside. A note fell out of the package. He picked it up and read:  _I found your jacket in my bag when you left the hospital. I didn't want to tell you because it reminds me of you but I had to eventually. Tell me if you want it back._ Morgan, reading over Reid's shoulder, chuckled and clapped Reid on the shoulder. In the frame was a black and white picture of a girl. Her hands were shaped in a heart in front of her face, her smiling face. It was Maiti. Signed at the bottom, it read:  _Spencer, I miss you. Maiti 3_. Reid laughed as he placed the picture frame in the corner of his desk space, where everyone could see it.


End file.
